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The Blue EM2

Glad to be here at last.

The Blue EM2 Joined 20th Sep, 2018 · Offline

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It is said that in times of danger, heroes will come together to face the rising tide of evil, and fight back to preserve the light. These heroes can come from the strangest of places.

This is the story of one such hero. Although he appears to be Hitch Trailblazer, you may be surprised to learn his true origins...

Part of the Rebirth of Magic continuity. Tags will be updated as the story continues.
Chapters (25)
Incomplete Published: Jun 12th, 2023 Download
37,975 words
Comments ( 231 )
shining paladin
shining paladin #1 · Jun 12th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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great chapter mate keep it up can't wait for the next chapter:pinkiehappy::twilightsmile:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #2 · Jun 12th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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Thanks for commenting. This one's a tad different in style, but hopefully still recognisable as part of this series.

ScisetShimmerEvan
ScisetShimmerEvan #3 · Jun 12th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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Ugh. Shoplifting has become such a problem since magic returned. Unicorns have a habit of just picking the produce up and walking off.

How cruel of them! :twilightangry2:

Oh? I didn't see you there. You want to talk? Sure thing. There's a table over there we can use, so let's sit at it. I think I can spare the time from my duties.

Yep, Hitch just broke the fourth wall. :ajbemused:

I was on vacation whilst travelling across the region in a hire car. Cars are rather like those truck thing you'll find in Zephyr Heights. The region wasn't one I knew hugely well. It was rather flat, but also quite isolated and a bit dull, to be honest. Having said that, my frame of reference was the Rocky Mountains, so anything else would probably look quite dull by comparison. I rolled along, the streets and black tarmac rolling underneath the tyres as I rolled along at speed. The highways were reasonably well kept here, unlike the rollercoaster rides you'll encounter in some states.

those truck things*

The miles continued to roll past, until I spotted new road signs which gave me a clue as to where I was. I was passing by Charlottesville, Virginia. That's Thomas Jeffersons' old place. If you can ever get the chance to dimension hop I'd advise visiting Monticello. Interesting and fascinating place. There's a university there as well. Also an interesting place to visit.

Monticello is also home to a train museum too. :ajsmug:

I tried to bring the car to a stop, but it was too late. My smashed into the wreckage, crumpling like matchwood against the wall of metal in front. Other vehicles slammed into the mess, causing a large crash and connected pileup.

My car smashed*

A large explosion roared in front, which I realised meant the end was nigh. The tanker's load had ignited, and the wall of flames was moving towards us! It looked like this was the end of the road for me.

Oh no! :raritydespair:

The exhaustion finally caught up to me, and I collapsed in amongst the trees, finally letting sleep claim my mind.

He's sure gonna be going through a lot of craziness once he's awake. :unsuresweetie:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #4 · Jun 12th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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1. Posey often ran into this problem, hence the complaints.

2. He sure did. He sure did.

3 and 5. Corrected.

4. This is news to me.

6. Toasty!

7. Oh, you bet he will.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #5 · Jun 12th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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Jimmy has just released the final entry in the series!

ERebirth of Magic: Cold, Cold Heart
The life and times of a Deputy who found his destiny... just not the way he expected.
JimmyHook19 · 38k words  ·  15  11 · 567 views
Comickook
Comickook #6 · Jun 12th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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Thanks very much for getting this final story in this first phase of your series. Definitely like the work going into the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Really liked the reflection on the state of things after magic was returned before the flashback to how this human character became Hitch. Yeah, I could see where the car accident could be that bad before the human ended up in Equestria as Hitch.

Well, I'll go read the first chapter in Jimmy's latest story and look forward to more of both of them.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #7 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Broken Body Built Anew ·
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Thanks for reading. I'll admit the whole 'finds magical object and gets turned into pony' story beat was starting to get stale, so I thought kicking things off with a bang would shift things a bit.

Comickook
Comickook #9 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Take Back Control ·
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Excellent work on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Definitely liked "Hitch's" reflections on when and where he was and knowing he had to at least mostly "Stick to the script" for the time being to avoid suspicion even having some general knowledge of how things are going to turn out (maybe not the full exact details, but still - ). Also understood the reaction to the alteration in "Sprout's" response and surprising sincerity concerning the final instructions for the time being.

Very much looking forward to more of this.

ScisetShimmerEvan
ScisetShimmerEvan #10 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Take Back Control ·
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"The one that attacked Maretime Bay earlier," Dahlia replied. "And that crackpot Sunny helped her escape. Last I saw of them the unicorn was luring her away from Maretime Bay, probably so she can fry her brain where nopony can see her!"

Sunny is not a crackpot, and unicorns can't fry a brain out! :twilightangry2:

Donut Lord 1991 Naka Way Green Hills, MT 0214-2020

Lmao, a sonic movie reference since James Marsdan aka Hitch's movie va played tom aka donut lord in the film and it's sequel which I recently rewatched. Still, great reference!! :rainbowlaugh:

Sprout blinked. "You cannot be serious. Wander straight into the lands of the unicorns and pegasuses? What if they fry your brain? Or you get eaten?"

Don't let those lies get to your grain Sprout. They're nothing but loads of hogwash someone made up to scare you and many others. :duck:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #11 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Take Back Control ·
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When Jimmy updates later today, some of the stuff in here will make a tad more sense.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #12 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Take Back Control ·
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1. Dahlia doesn't know this. They only know what they have been taught, and they have no alternative way of finding out the truth.

2. I'm surprised they didn't make more of that in ANG. Still, Tom and Hitch are rather different characters; the latter is rather closer to Marsden's usual repertoir.

3. Sprout has no way of establishing the truth, remember?

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #15 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Take Back Control ·
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Well, glad to have that sorted. I also forgot to point out that the ZIP code is not a real Montana one.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #18 · Jun 13th, 2023 · · · Take Back Control ·
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No worries. I didn't use a real one to avoid idiots spam mailing a potential real address.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #19 · Jun 14th, 2023 · · · Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard ·
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There's a new chapter here, folks. Jimmy has also updated his story if such a thing interests you. Link to the story is further back in the comment chain.

Comickook
Comickook #20 · Jun 14th, 2023 · · · Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard ·
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Excellent job on this latest chapter. Definitely appreciated the mental reflections as well as the extra details in certain things. Most assuredly liked "Hitch's" reflections on things like the mapping system, the series "Ashes to Ashes" (as well as its Equestrian counterpart in this universe) and finding that inn.

Really looking forward to more of this.

ScisetShimmerEvan
ScisetShimmerEvan #21 · Jun 14th, 2023 · · · Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard ·
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The only issue is that the road, well, ran out at one point. It just stopped abruptly in the middle of nowhere, and this left me confused. Why would a road just stop in the middle of nowhere? Did the builders run out of money? Was it cancelled owing to tensions with the other races?

I think they never finished the road so the tribes wouldn't cross paths because they were scared. :unsuresweetie:

To say it was eery would be an understatement. What in Equestria happened to them, and how did we end up where we are, going from a peaceful utopia to effectively a cold war scenario?

Who knows if we'll ever learn the full story as to how it came to fruition. :ajsleepy:

This may seem like a crazy thought, but hear me out. Back in the human world, many years ago, there was a TV show called Ashes to Ashes , which focused on the exploits of policemen in 1980s London. However, the show had one crazy ending; it turned out all of the main characters were dead, and this setting was merely the afterlife, a sort of heaven if that's a concept to ponies.

I'm sorry what!? :applejackconfused:

Props if you spot the reference, by the way.

And the narrator broke the fourth wall. :facehoof:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #22 · Jun 14th, 2023 · · · Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard ·
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Seeing as these characters spend a fair amount of time in their own minds, it makes sense to spend a fair bit of time reflecting on things about the world and their own lives. Besides, there is a theory that the entirety of G5 is Sunny's dying dream.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #23 · Jun 14th, 2023 · · · Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard ·
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1. That certainly seems plausible. That has happened IRL.

2. We may never know, indeed, but one can only wonder if things happened that were so horrific it would be better to be ignorant.

3. I'm serious. This was an actual TV series that aired in the late 2000s.

4. Indeed he did. It's an allusion to the tabletop wargaming series Warhammer 40,000, which incidentally is the franchise from which the word 'grimdark' originates.

shining paladin
shining paladin #25 · Jun 14th, 2023 · · · Fight like a Cougar, Run like a Leopard ·
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cool chapter mate i remember in g4 you saw silver bits once and the rest of the time it was gold:pinkiehappy::twilightsmile:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #30 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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The new chapter is here. I would mention Jimmy's new chapter but you guys beat me there!

Arcticlizard52
Arcticlizard52 #31 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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Hitch is going a bit off course here if he wants to catch up with Sunny and Izzy

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #32 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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Hitch suffers from chronic hero syndrome-he is driven by his need to help others and uphold order.

Comickook
Comickook #33 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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Hey there. Thanks very much for getting this next chapter up. Again, really liked the work going into the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Really appreciated "Hitch's" observations concerning how things have changed over the centuries in Happy Hollow before going to help out in that search for the missing miners. Also liked the note that some of the stuff picked up from helping out in other places proved to be useful on the main journey.

REALLY looking forward to more of this.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #34 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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As previously discussed in other stories' comments sections, RPGs were a big source of inspiration for this series. This, and the next chapter, also draw a little bit on personal family history; my folks on my mother's side have a long history of working in either mining or industries connected to mining, so this section is actually quite personal.

Not only that, but as noted exploring and speculating how G4 places might have evolved and changed over thousands of years is also a personal interest of mine.

shining paladin
shining paladin #35 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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nice chapter mate keep it up cant wait for for the next chapter:pinkiehappy::twilightsmile:

ScisetShimmerEvan
ScisetShimmerEvan #36 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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I had often heard that beds in taverns varied from very nice to incredibly bad. At least this place had a mattress, rather than a series of ropes to pull together which needed to be done in order to prevent you from falling to the floor. Incidentally, this is where the saying 'sleep tight' comes from. Another example of the meanings of sayings we use without really thinking.

Huh, guess you do learn something every day. :applejackunsure:

She pointed to a sign. Please order at the bar.

:facehoof:

"Oh," I said, feeling rather silly. I got up and collected a menu to place my order. To speed up ordering, each combination had a number, so you simply stated the number you wanted rather than having to describe the meal in question. More places should do this, as it makes things more efficient.

Imo, I'm fine with menu they have either or. :twilightsmile:

Another pointed out of the window. "This town is dependant on the Pit, which is managed by the NEPCB. Seeing as you're not from here, I'll assume you don't know what that stands for. That's the National Earth Pony Coal Board, which manages the mines in Earth Pony territory."

Interesting. :rainbowhuh:

"Thanks for the info," I replied. I had some vague familiarity with the coal mining industry- some of my ancestors back in human world had worked in the South Wales coalfields- so this felt at once strange and oddly familier. "Now, about these missing miners. I'd like to help."

back in the human world*

"They're in the company pocket," said the second to speak to me. "We wouldn't trust them to switch the pipes in a boiler round, let alone conduct an actual investigation into a group of missing ponies. But you're not from here. You're not in their pocket."

Yikes! :twilightoops:

"Went there on a holiday once," said a figure who was yet to speak. "Remember when they used to do special trains there?"

Oh? :rainbowderp:

They headed away towards the general store. That was an interesting moment. I makes sense a phrase like 'Bob's your uncle' exists over here, seeing as there's a pony in Maretime Bay called Rob. He's the one with the fedora.

It makes sense*

Based on the information I had gathered, I chose to take the southern entrance into the mine. The place had two separate winding houses, one for each end, as this minimised the amount of walking needed to be done underground to reach your seam. This was going to be a tough one, as I hadn't been underground in years. And most certainly not in this body either. I made my out of the tavern and across the road, heading for the mine.

made my way out of*

I showed the inspector on the gate my badge, and he let me through, seeing I was law enforcement. I trotted deeper into the region, I saw the surface buildings and operations were already running. Locomotives were propelling trucks about to be loaded with coal, presumably to be shipped off to other parts of earth pony territory. Large dispensers were dropping coal into trucks in numerous different grades. Clearly they had coal washers here too.

Coal washers? :applejackconfused:

A forepony helped me fit the gear and ensure it was correctly secured, and it was soon time for my mining adventure to commence. I joined a line of workers preparing to head in, and heard a series of bells informing me the winding gear was in action, and to expect the cage soon.

Feels weird reading something like this as just last week I watched a film that made many scenes filmed at a coal mine. Not to mention it takes place in the late 50s in West Virginia, aka coal hauling county. :ajsmug:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #38 · Jun 15th, 2023 · · · Servant of the People ·
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1. I learned the origin of that phrase whilst living in the United States. Funny how often we use phrases without thinking of their origin, right?

2. I've made that blunder more than once!

3. They're slowly moving over to this approach in Britain as well.

4. Nationalised mining indeed. I don't believe the US ever had a nationalised mine system.

5. Corrected.

6. This happened an alarming amount in American history. Leadville, CO, for instance, was effectively owned and operated by the mines, with law enforcement being used to crack down on unionism. They also were under strict orders to ignore crimes committed by company bosses.

7. That's a nod to the Blackpool Specials. Many factories and mines would organise holiday outings to the seaside, and if you lived in the north of England those usually went to Blackpool on the Lancashire coast. The trains were usually operated by all sorts of weird and wonderful locomotive combinations.

8 and 9. Corrected.

10. Coal is used in different grades depending on the industry. If, for instance, you bung coal that just came out of the ground into a steam engine's firebox you'll get a lot of soot and clinker as it's full of impurities. Coal washers are machines that process coal using water to remove impurities and ensure it can be used in different industries. In the United States, the Pennsylvania Railroad maintained extensive coal washing facilities to ensure the anthracite they used was of the highest quality.

11. As noted in the comments below, my ancestors are from coal mining country (my mother was born in a mining town, and most of my male ancestors worked in various mines). I doubt I could have done that sort of job though- I'm partially claustrophobic!

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #39 · Jun 16th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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Hi everybody. The last chapter for a bit is now live.

Comickook
Comickook #40 · Jun 16th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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REALLY good descriptions of the mines and the mapping systems. Yeah, between the limited light, also limited air and the dangers of the water and poison gases, it DOES provide a good imagery just how bad the situation is. And almost hitting another miner when he was about to start digging? Yikes.

Anyway, certainly looking forward to seeing which of the three other stories you're working on right now in this series is going to get five more chapters next month.

ScisetShimmerEvan
ScisetShimmerEvan #41 · Jun 16th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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"Welcome back, boys," said a figure standing nearby. He looked to be some form of administrator. "I know this isn't your first rodeo underground, but remember; safety first. There's carbon monoxide down here, so don't go anywhere without your safety lamp or head torch. No exposed flames, so that means no smoking. And always stay in pairs, and keep your gas mask on. I know the gear is bulky and uncomfortable, but it will save your life in the event of an accident. Best of luck to all of you."

It feels like I'm rewatching the movie I watched last Friday all over again but in word form as coal mines were a huge part of the movie since it took place in West Virginia in the late 50s. :applejackunsure:

The tunnels must have been a few miles under the ground, as it was very claustrophobic. If you don't like tight spaces, don't go down a coal mine. Not only that, the tunnels in this sector were poorly lit. There was an electric light every 200 yards or so, which meant long patches of darkness.

I hate being in tight spaces so I doubt I'd ever go in one. :twilightoops:

"Ah, a newbie," he said. "Still, you have it easy compared to us. Back when I started we didn't have lights in the tunnels. We only had portable electric lamps. And these lamps were the only thing to cut through the darkness. Down here the blackness is so intense that if the lights go out you can't tell if your eyes are closed or not."

That's pretty much why I hate being in thick darkness. Even with no light and my eyes are wide open, I'll feel like they're indeed closed. :fluttershysad:

When I was partway into the tunnel, I found more evidence that I found disheartening. The tunnel did the same thing as the lights and simply stopped. The roof seemed to have come down, and a series of rocks marked where the collapse had happened.

lights had simply stopped.*

I passed by a room called SAFETY SHELTER. I looked inside, and saw it was stocked full of provisions and supplies a miner might need in the even of an accident. Good thinking, building those in. I then continued on my way, turning to the left to access the main tunnel once again.

in the event of an accident*

shining paladin
shining paladin #42 · Jun 16th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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great chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter:pinkiehappy::twilightsmile:

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #43 · Jun 16th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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Back in the really old days of Lego, there was a game called Rock Raiders, which very accurately captured the claughstrophobia of working underground. It's currently being remade in the Unity engine, and is well worth a play.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #44 · Jun 16th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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1. How strange.

2. Me too.

3. You probably wouldn't cope well in Mammoth Cave, KY, then.

4 and 5. Corrected.

The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #46 · Jul 17th, 2023 · · · Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two ·
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Hey folks! Rebirth of Magic is back! And we have formally returned to Zipp!

TRebirth of Magic: Zipping It
The life and times of a flightless princess.
The Blue EM2 · 38k words  ·  30  2 · 1.3k views
The Blue EM2
The Blue EM2 #47 · Oct 16th, 2023 · · · Big Iron ·
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This story has returned with a new chapter!

Comickook
Comickook #48 · Oct 16th, 2023 · · · Big Iron ·
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Thanks immensely for getting this next chapter posted. Definitely appreciated the work going into the dialogue, (limited) action, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Most assuredly liked the reflections during that brief "misunderstanding fight", followed by the conversation concerning the mine's troubles, the top-level greed and corruption and a little bit of added detail on the Earth Ponies' spin on that battle Sprout mentioned in the actual movie's prologue. Yeah, they WILL eventually learn that they're wrong about the Unicorns and Pegasi, but it will still take a while.

Anyway, very certainly looking forward to more of this.

shining paladin
shining paladin #49 · Oct 16th, 2023 · · · Big Iron ·
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there is a reason why Ukrainians and others switched sides and join the germans stalin treated them horribly and that was the last straw great chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter:pinkiehappy::twilightsmile:

ScisetShimmerEvan
ScisetShimmerEvan #50 · Oct 16th, 2023 · · · Big Iron ·
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"Quite the detective, aren't we?" she said, clearly unaware I was actually a Sheriff. "There have been unexplained shakings and odd underground activity. One group of workers narrowly escaped a flood of what turned out to be glitter. Nopony was able to figure that one out, as the last glitter seam down here was mined out years ago."

The shaking I do agree is mysterious, but the glitter flood is well... I'm not sure to express about it if I'm honest. :applejackconfused:

"Eventually, they allied to invade us and steal our food and coal and iron ore. The war was a long and difficult struggle for our independence against the imperialist Pegasi and cruelty of the Unicorns. But at the Battle of Thunder Bay we conclusively defeated them, and drove them back to their own lands." She fell silent for a moment. "It was a struggle that carried a heavy cost. But we emerged from it an independent, free, and democratic nation. Ever since, we've been on the watch for our enemies and whether they're gearing up to finish the job. If they do come back, we'll kick their flanks again."

Uh huh... :applejackunsure:

That got dark quickly. But I stayed quiet as she continued. "But I doubt the pegasi are gearing up for an attack. They're probably too busy eating each other. But what do you expect of cannibals, eh?"

Whoever thought of that clearly is insane. :ajbemused:

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